Daniel and Kate: Fifty Things
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: Lucky number thirteen of the Fifty Things family. It's time for Dr. Daniel Pierce and Agent Kate Moretti to shine! Rating T for what may show up.
1. Prompts

**Daniel and Kate: Fifty Things**

**By: DemonClowSorceress**

**Number thirteen brings me to a new favorite pair, Dr. Daniel Pierce and Kate Moretti!**

**Disclaimer:**...**Nope, _Perception _doesn't belong to me. Dammit.**

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#1 - Puzzles

They're very good at solving the mysteries of why people do what they do.

#2 - Aliens

Teasing Kate was a rare pleasure, especially when she actually thought he believed in the conspiracy.

#3 - Routine

While it kept him sane, he longed for a challenge to spark his interest.

#4 - Mumble

Sometimes it's hard to distinguish if he's talking to her or his newest hallucination.

#5 - Divorced

The thought that someone would ever hurt Kate that way...it made Daniel seethe.

#6 - Rexford

No way would she let him go through that alone. Never again.

#7 - Bar

A familiar place, and yet a new experience. The fact that he knew the owner's daughter helped immensely.

#8 - Claustrophobia

Daniel's grip on his briefcase tightened when he realized that they were trapped.

#9 - Agreement

He practically forgot the promise until she cornered him in the elevator.

#10 - Garage

Once, he was able to show just how deeply he cared about her. It haunted him long after his mind returned.

#11 - Wet

"You know, sane people don't usually jump into the river after evidence."

#12 - Cubs

Watching a game on his couch beat stadium seats any day.

#13 - Signals

Hearing her tear his assumptions apart shouldn't hurt this much. But it did.

#14 - Donnie

"Narcissistic personality disorder? Use the vernacular - he was being a dick."

#15 - Oz

His choice for a Halloween costume was both appropriate and somewhat ironic.

#16 - Heliacal

"There they are," Daniel said, pointing to the cluster of stars that shone brighter than the rising sun.

#17 - Sparkling

Something about this undergrad had Daniel making an effort to learn her name.

#18 - Class

It was a core requirement for her major.

#19 - Pain

"Daniel, look at me! Keep looking at me!"

#20 - Childhood

"You haven't spoken to me in years, Daniel. You must really be scared of something."

#21 - Father

Kate felt somewhat awkward talking to the man who raised Daniel. Especially given the circumstances.

#22 - Party

"Well, at least the tea's halfway decent...shut up, Natalie."

#23 - Alternate

Caroline knew she'd never be the woman he wanted. Until he figured that out, she's be the one he needed.

#24 - Chalk

"Hold still, you've got a..." she said, swiping her thumb across his cheek.

#25 - Natalie

"Daniel, you're out of time. Either let her go back to D.C. once and for all, or tell her and hope to God she stays."

#26 - Harbinger

Daniel immediately knew this hallucination was different from all the others.

#27 - Tremors

It got so bad that making a fist didn't stop his hand from shaking.

#28 - Kilimanjaro

"Aw dammit," he muttered when he saw DJ sitting in the front row with that punk-ass smirk on his face.

#29 - Humiliation

She was vibrating with rage as that arrogant asswipe continued to verbally beat Daniel down.

#30 - Children

"You know there's a theory that believes paranoid schizophrenia is passed down genetically, right?"

#31 - Episode

Sometimes she caught him. Sometimes he'd try to hide it, and she still caught him.

#32 - Ghost

"But...but I'm right there! What's going on?"

#33 - Madcap

Most people would call her reckless, but Daniel knew she was a woman of action, not words and red tape.

#34 - Babble

He was completely surrounded by unfamiliar people. Or was he?

#35 - Crush

"I thought it would fade away, but it...it only got stronger."

#36 - Upgrade

When his cassette player finally croaked, Kate let herself get dragged across Chicago in search for another.

#37 - Bach

Amid the dulcet sounds of the cello, Daniel quietly told her about his mother.

#38 - Lewicki

Although he wouldn't always be there, he knew the Doc would never be alone.

#39 - Break

"Go away! GO AWAY! YOU'RE NOT REAL, DAMMIT!"

#40 - Medicated

He was still Daniel, but not the Daniel she knew. Not the man she loved.

#41 - Delusional

She had to be as crazy as Daniel to believe this was actually happening.

#42 - Urge

He had to squash his, she had to curb hers. Between the two of them was a chasm of desires that neither thought the other felt.

#43 - Scare

Impulse made him hug her. For the briefest moment, he'd thought she wasn't real.

#44 - Neuroscience

It seemed the best course of action, learning more about why the brain could do what it did.

#45 - Reality

When he opened his eyes, he thought he'd lost his mind again.

#46 - Karaoke

Her grip on her mic tightened as the song blasted through the speakers.

#47 - Tux

God, he really did clean up well.

#48 - Reputation

They're known as "the Nutty Professor" and "the mad Doctor's keeper." Rarely is one seen working without the other.

#49 - Piano

Very few people were granted a private concert.

#50 - Partners

Alone, they faltered. Together, they could take on anything.

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**These two are gonna be so cute, I can tell!**

**So, one-shots? Anyone? ****Review and lemme know!**


	2. Puzzles

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception._**

**Prompt #1: Puzzles - They're very good at solving the mysteries of why people do what they do.**

**Words: 510**

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With his condition, he needed something to focus his brain matter. His sudoku, crosswords, and riddles were like shiny little lures, and his mind eagerly latched on like a greedy fish.

The absolute best ones came with Kate. Cases that had intriguing diagnoses and situations attached, like sparkly baubles dangling off a chain. Real-world problems were so much more difficult that anything Lewicki could find. People had more complex reasons for doing what they did.

But Daniel would be lying if he said he only took the cases to just find out the truth behind the crime.

Kate was a delightful sort of riddle as well. He's known her for years, ever since that first class when he looked away from his chalkboard and saw an undergrad who was actually interested in his lecture. When that same undergrad approached him years later as a young FBI agent and asked him to consult on a case, Daniel had felt the first prickles of curiosity wiggle in his brain. Something about her just made him want to solve her.

Then she left for D.C., and he had to settle for his crosswords and sudokus again. But it wasn't the same. Kate had set the bar too high for him, and none of his usual puzzles could come close to what she brought him.

He couldn't explain it, but he never felt more relieved when he looked up from his puzzle to see her smiling at him.

It meant another chance at figuring out why Kate Moretti was so interesting.

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In her line of work, she needed a decoder ring at times. Motives, opportunities, facts and lies and alibis, all tangled together like brightly colored string, and her mind pounced on each lead like a kitten.

The most difficult ones, she took to Daniel. The especially challenging ones, too snarled for her brain to pick the strands apart without help. He was brilliant and had a way of looking at problems that was incredibly useful.

But Kate would be lying if she said she only went to see Daniel when she needed his help on a case.

Daniel had his own puzzling quirks. She's known him for years, first as the brilliant if eccentric professor of her favorite class and then as her go-to consultant for anything regarding the human mind. When he'd agreed to consult for her, Kate had felt the first touches of intrigue at seeing how he cracked the case. Something about him made her want to figure it out.

Then she was transferred to D.C., and she had to get used to a whole new city and partner. But it wasn't the same. Daniel had set the bar too high, and nobody stimulated her brain the same way he did.

She couldn't explain it, but she was so glad when she was demoted and sent back to Chicago.

It meant another crack at trying to solve the puzzle of Daniel Pierce.

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_"Is a puzzlement!" ~ The King and I_

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**Ready, steady, and go!**

**Review please!**


	3. Aliens

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception _or eposide 2x02 "Alienation".**

**Prompt #2: Aliens - Teasing Kate was a rare pleasure, especially when she actually thought he believed in the conspiracy.**

**Words: 380**

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"The wife says that her husband was abducted by, um...aliens from outer space."

I glance over to make sure she's for real. Sometimes Kate likes to tease me for my conspiracies, and I wouldn't put it past her. But she's completely serious.

"I know what you're thinking. _Why are we wasting our time looking into this? _But there could be a real underlying crime here and we're obligated by law to look into it, no matter how weird it sounds, so..."

I can't help myself. It's too easy. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Maybe the guy really _was_ abducted by aliens." Of course I don't believe it - it's one of the few conspiracies I've dismissed as completely ridiculous - but the urge to tease Kate is overpowering.

"Excuse me?" Her voice drops to a whisper but the surprise is still evident. She thinks I'm being as serious as she is.

Oh, now I _have_ to go all the way.

"Oh, c'mon Kate, you work for the federal government." I go the whole nine yards of crazy - shifting gaze as if making sure we're not being watched, serious expression of "I'm totally not screwing around with this crap," dropping my voice to an excited whisper. "Don't tell me you don't know that they've been whitewashing this sort of thing for decades. Roswell? the abduction of Betty and Barney Hill?"

She's looking at me like I've grown another head. I lean closer, dropping my voice lower and fighting to keep my expression serious. "If we look into this, we could blow open the biggest cover-up in American history."

She buys it. I can't believe she buys it.

Without changing expression I finally say, "Had you going there for a minute, didn't I?"

Her face fights to stay angry, but a twisted mutant smile manages to peek out. She slaps my arm and points a finger at my face. "That is not funny."

"It was a little bit funny," I admit, holding up my thumb and index finger an inch apart. "Little bit."

We share a chuckle on the way to her car.

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**Because that exchange in "Alienation" was the funniest thing I've seen them do so far in the season.**

**Review please!**


	4. Routine

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception._**

**Prompt #3: Routine - While it kept him sane, he longed for a challenge to spark his interest.**

**Words: 718**

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From his first steps, Daniel Pierce was an impulsive person by nature. Always going, always experiencing new things, never stopping to plan his day. He loved the randomness of an unplanned day, the excitement of a surprise, the knowledge that every day would bring something different from the next.

Then he was diagnosed, and it was like slamming an iron door shut. The doctors were very firm about limiting his new experiences. No spontaneity, no flights of fancy, no abrupt change in a set routine. Dr. Rosenthal gladly helped him outline a schedule and diet plan to limit stressful stimuli.

Being a cocky punk, Daniel deviated from his schedule once. It resulted in his heated argument with a wall that, thankfully, nobody noticed before he realized what was happening. That experience scared him straight and kept him obsessively fixated on following his routine. He went through medical school and almost four years of teaching this way.

Then one day, in the middle of his lecture, he turned around to look over the ever-changing faces of students who took his class either for actual credit or to say they sat in the same room as the famous Dr. Pierce, and noted a change. In the front row was an undergrad girl with long brown hair, and she had her hand up. When he indicated for her to speak, she not only asked a relevant question, but asked it in a way that showed she was eager to learn more.

When the class let out, for the first time in his teaching career, Daniel Pierce willingly consulted his class list to put a name to that face.

That's how Kate Moretti first disrupted his routine.

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_****__****__**My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation ~ Arthur Conan Doyle**_

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Daniel came to count on Kate to bring him in on cases. It became a routine of its own, erratic but still reliable. She'd walk into his classroom or his office or his home, a bright glint in her eye and a folder in hand, bearing a mystery.

Through her, Daniel was able to meet intriguing people, solve puzzling murders, and gain insights that his teaching position could not begin to grant him. He was helping people, and at the same time, he was helping himself. His hallucinations, while still present, were actually essential in assisting with his consulting work. Sometimes it was good to talk it out with yourself, literally.

Then she received a promotion. Quantico, Washington, D.C. The big time. It was what she always wanted, and Daniel wanted what was best for her. So he let her go without a fight, just a hug and a whispered "Good luck in the big leagues," in her ear.

It was only a matter of weeks after she left before lack of stimulation caused his hallucinations to increase. His work suffered as the lines between reality and delusion blurred, and he quickly spiraled out of control. After a tour in Rexford, he brought back Lewicki to keep his world from falling apart again.

That's when Daniel realized just how integral Kate Moretti had become to his sanity. And that's when he knew he had to learn to live without her.

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_****__**Idle hands are the devil's playground ~ Lois Lowry**_

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Having a routine was well and good on a regular day. Lewicki did his best to keep Daniel entertained with the most difficult crossword puzzles he could find, and usually that was enough. But having the same thing day in and day out, week after week and month after month, can make even the sanest of men go nuts.

So when Kate Moretti walked back into his life, Daniel eagerly welcomed the chaos that was to come. Even if letting her go had resulted in his break from reality, she was still the greatest source of puzzles and problems. And, truth be told, he missed going out on cases with her.

For her, he'd ditch his routine every time.

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_****__**Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting. ~ Amelia Atwater-Rhodes**_

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******Review please!**


	5. Mumble

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception._**

**Prompt #4: Mumble - Sometimes it's hard to distinguish if he's talking to her or his newest hallucination.**

**Words: 704**

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Daniel is talking to himself.

It's nothing I haven't seen or heard before. He frequently has a look in his eye that says he sees something or someone I can't, which I've come to associate with his paying attention to whatever his latest hallucination is saying.

I mostly don't pay it any mind as long as the situation isn't devolving into gunfire or panic. I also try not to interrupt him. I've noticed how badly startled Daniel gets when he's yanked from his headspace unexpectedly. Sometimes he gets his best breakthroughs after "speaking" with his subconscious.

I do some research as Daniel stands in front of the board and mutters to whatever person his mind has manifested to help him think. I glance over from time to time to make sure he doesn't wander off and nobody disturbs him. Most everyone knows better by now, but Donnie has been known to swagger in talking real loudly a mile a minute and it makes Daniel flinch, as if a whip cracked right next to him.

An alert pings on my computer, telling me that my latest search results are in. I print the results out for Daniel's convenience and cautiously approach him. He's still engrossed in his semi-private conversation, so I wait for a natural break before speaking up.

"Daniel. Got the coroner's result. Victim was definitely off his meds."

"Meds?" he asks, like he only heard me with one ear. He turns to face me, his undivided attention grasped.

"Yeah. Antidepressants."

"But even the highest dose of antidepressants don't cause these symptoms," Daniel murmurs. His eyes glance to the left and down, like he's listening to someone speak behind him, then move to read the printout. "Wait. There's another class of drugs that can have this sort of reaction, especially when taken in conjunction with other medical conditions. But the victim wasn't taking any of those drugs because of his asthma."

"Which he'd need an inhaler for..." I frown as I consult another paper. "But CSU never found an inhaler at the scene," I state.

"Why would the killer take it with him..." Daniel's voice tapers off as he tilts his head. After a moment his eyes go wide and he yells, "That's it! The killer must've switched out the inhaler medication for the other drug."

I quickly follow through. "So when he took a hit from his inhaler, the drug triggered a bad reaction in his body and ultimately killed him. But who would know how to kill him that way?"

"Someone with access to and knowledge of both medications..."

"So, his doctor."

"No..." His eyebrows furrow slightly as his gaze tilts sideways. That listening-to-someone-behind-him look of his. I frown as I watch his eyes widen, then dart from side to side as whatever he heard made the puzzle pieces slide into place. "The male nurse. What if he switched the medications and tried to frame the doctor?"

"And why would he do that?" I ask.

"I-I-I don't know, but w-we should still check it out." He's stuttering slightly, a sign that his energy level is rising and his brain is racing. "The killer probably meant to replace the inhaler with the correct medication, but never got the chance to complete the switch," Daniel continues. "So the nurse might still have both inhalers." He heads over and gathers up his coat and bag. I watch carefully, noticing how he's avoiding a particular spot next to the chair. As if someone is standing there...

I quickly avert my eyes to pick up my badge and get my weapon from my desk drawer. He hates it when people notice him being, well, himself. I hear him approaching again, and my ears pick up the tail end of his sentence.

"...she won't. I can't ask that. Leave me alone."

_Am I the she? What can't he ask?_ Pushing back questions I can't ask, I merely say, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he says, looking at me with a nod. "Let's go."

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**Headcanon: I think Kate notices his little lapses more than she lets on, personally. She just doesn't show it to Daniel.**

**Review please!**


	6. Divorced

**Disclaimer: I don't own _Perception._**

**Prompt #5: Divorced - The thought that someone would ever hurt Kate that way...it made Daniel seethe.**

**Words: 571**

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"He slept with my best friend."

Daniel started, surprised to hear Kate's remark. Looking up from his crossword puzzle, he frowned and said, "Um, what?"

"Donnie. He slept with my best friend in D.C. That's why I divorced him."

He stared at her, taking in her rigid posture, frozen eyes, and flat tone of voice. Kate had many moods, but cold and dismissive was not a normal one for her. She was trying to be calm about the information, but he could see the traces of hurt in her face. The betrayal.

Daniel felt a surge of anger flood his body. He hadn't liked Donnie right off the bat, and this new information just put the DA higher up on his list of People To Dislike Intensely. He clenched his newspaper and took a deep breath to maintain his calm. "I'm sorry."

"Why? It was after I left for D.C," Kate said, looking over at him.

"Still...did he give a reason?"

She looked away again. "Said it was an accident." Daniel scoffed. "Yeah, that's what I said. How can you _accidentally_ tumble into bed with your wife's best friend? _Without _the influence of alcohol?"

The level of stupidity stunned Daniel. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Scoffing again, Daniel shook his head and looked back at his crossword puzzle. Why someone would cheat on Kate was baffling. Why someone could even think about cheating on a woman as wonderful as her was even more incredulous.

"The thing is, I sort of didn't blame him," Kate said. "I mean, we both worked crazy hours. Most nights I wasn't home, and when I was, I was too tired for anything. He probably thought I wouldn't find out or something - "

"He was a fool, then," Daniel stated. "You're a trained FBI investigator. He was a fool to hide it from you."

Not to mention the biggest idiot in creation. In Daniel's opinion, Donnie had done the stupidest thing in the history of mankind and deserved no excuse. He was a fool for not keeping this amazing woman.

"...What?"

He looked up at her wide-eyed expression and realized that he'd said that last bit out loud. A thousand thoughts flew through his head. _Take it back. Laugh it off. Tell her the truth. Tell her the truth. TELL HER._

"Daniel?"

_The truth it is. _"You're amazing, Kate," he said quietly. "And he's a fool for not keeping you."

Kate just stared into his eyes, mouth slightly open in shock. Daniel tried to read her emotions, but they changed too quickly for him to be certain he'd even identified them correctly. He forced himself to maintain eye contact, sensing that something was changing between them, something important -

And then he heard a cell phone ring behind him. Daniel's eyes slid shut as a silent curse echoed through his brain. The moment was lost.

He heard her stand up and answer the phone, "Moretti." Kate's voice was back to its normal pitch, a great change from the soft, touched tone she'd just used with Daniel. "Okay. Right. On my way." He heard the phone call end, heard her turn, felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "Daniel? You okay?"

"Y-Yeah...yeah, I'm fine." He glanced up at the agent and forced a smile. "So, what's the case?"

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**I wanted it to be sweet, and then...it went sideways. Oh well, I'm back!**

**Review please!**


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